The future of Russian federalism in the context of relations between Russia and partially recognized and unrecognized states of the post-Soviet space

Abstract

The object of the study is the future of Russian federalism in the context of the possible inclusion of new subjects into the Russian Federation. The subject of this research is the probability of the Republic of South Ossetia, the Republic of Abkhazia, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic becoming parts of Russia. The analysis is carried out through examining the history of the formation of the objects of research, their relationship with Russia and the comments of public administration officials on the prospects of these relationships. This research is relevant because of global transformation processes brought about by Russia’s special military operation. The scientific novelty of the work is proved by the absence of a comprehensive analysis of potential integration processes between the Russian Federation and the members of the partially recognized and unrecognized states of the post-Soviet space, caused by the aggravation of the international political situation. Based on the results of the analysis, different approaches to potential integration processes have been developed, among them are: Republics becoming a part of the Russian Federation following a referendum, the creation of a supranational entity or inclusion of the aforementioned state entities into an existing one. Following the executed analysis, the authors came to the conclusion that currently the most optimal form of unification, taking Russian interests and the foreign policy situation into account, is the entry of some of these states into a joint supranational entity with Russia, following the example of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.